Savin' Me
by history00
Summary: Three years post NM, the Italy incident goes terribly wrong, and Bella fails to make it to Edward in time, and he is disposed of by the Volturi, as is Alice. Bella and Jasper are left utterly alone in themselves. Is it worth it to save each other?


**Her heart would sing without a sound. **

**For the first time you can open your eyes. **

**And see the world without your sorrow. **

**No one knows the pain you left behind. **

**For the peace you can never find. **

**Just waiting there to hold and keep you.**

**Welcome to the first day of your life. **

**…**

Bella's feet hit the cobblestone and brick roads with precision; her eyes caught sight of the clock tower that was her destination. It was so far. Too far. Despite this, she pushed on, weaving between the people. She ran for what seemed like forever until finally she could see the mouth of the clock tower...and Edward. Edward Cullen, in all of his vampiric glory was standing at the edge of the clock tower. All the love that Bella had once fell for him rushed back into her being, overwhelming her. She had hardly noticed she'd stopped. No, she couldn't stop.

"Edward!" she screamed as she leapt into the fountain. She was in knee-deep water, but this didn't deter her from running-or rather wading-toward him. Then, Edward stepped out fully into the sunlight. Bella scrambled out of the fountain and began running toward him again. However, when she was mere feet from him, two cloaked figures came out of the dark and seized Edward, dragging him back into the confines of the clock tower.

Though she knew she could be sealing her own fate by doing this, she ran forward, into the shadows of the clock tower. Edward was on his knees, in the hands of two hulking vampires, his arms pinned behind him by one, his head in the hands of another. Slowly, his eyes opened, unnatural black meeting coffee brown; his lips parted in shock and horror overtook his features.

"Bella," he whispered right before his head was jerked from his body.

Not a sound came from Bella; she simply stared at the two vampires that had killed her first love. They stared back at her, red eyes glinting in the shady clock tower.

"So, you're Bella, are you?" the first one asked, approaching her. Bella stared him down as he neared her, not backing down, her coffee eyes meeting his dark scarlet eyes without any kind of fear or emotion. The vampire smiled at her, his white teeth flashing wickedly; he stood mere centimeters in front of her. Their chests almost touched. Slowly, the vampire reached out his fingers, brushing her hair from her neck, then bowed his head, running his nose along her vein. He was disappointed to find that her heart rate was normal and there was no fear or adrenaline in her blood. With a scoff, he backed off.

Alice, then, came tearing into the clock tower's underbelly, her eyes wide and wild. As soon as she caught sight of her brother's head detached from his body, she crumpled to the floor, sobbing tearless sobs. Bella stared at the pixie she knew so well for a long while before turning her eyes back to the vampires.

"Would you please be decent for five moments and burn that so Alice doesn't have to look at her brother's remains any longer than she has to?" Bella asked coolly to the vampires who seemed to be shocked that a human was speaking to them.

With a smirk, the one that Bella had not yet been in contact with proceeded to tear apart Edward's body, then set it ablaze. Bella noticed with disgust that he had deliberately not put Edward's head into the blaze. Not saying a word, Bella put a hand on Alice's shoulder, exhaling slowly. The vampire that had been in close contact with Bella walked forward to the pair of them.

"You need to come with us," he said simply. Alice didn't budge, but Bella blinked up at him.

"As you wish," Bella said lightly, removing her hand from Alice's shoulder and walking forward a few steps. The vampire that had spoken to them picked Alice up, seeing plainly that there was no way she was capable of doing anything but sobbing and shrieking.

Bella was forced to be stuffed between the two hulking vampires as they took to the underbelly of the city, walking along old, dank corridors. The only noise there was in the tunnels was Alice's sobs and shrieks, Bella's heartbeat, her footsteps, and the dripping of water. It was like a scene straight of a horror movie. _Oh, right,_ Bella thought sarcastically, _that's because my entire fucking life is a horror movie. Fantastic. _

The party eventually came to a halt in front of a grand door, at _least_ twelve feet wide, pure wood, and ornately carved. It was swung open easily by the first of the vampires, and the vampire holding Alice pushed Bella forward into the chamber that awaited. Bella shot a look over her shoulder, worrying about Alice, but continued nonetheless. Her once sure and unafraid footsteps faltered slightly as she caught sight of the scene in front of her. The chamber was very open, yet held no natural light, only candlelight.

The walls were inscribed and carved with beautiful writings and pictures. At least a dozen vampires were mulling about the room, but none too far away from the back center of the chamber where three ancient-looking vampires sat atop three equally ancient and majestic looking thrones. Bella swallowed, slight fear sinking in for the first time.

The vampire in the center, the one with the longest black hair, got to his feet and floated toward the party of three vampires and a human. His misty red eyes flickered between them all before he seized the hand of the vampire in front of Bella. Curiously, Bella tilted her head to the side, wondering exactly what was happening. The vampire, the old one, looked at Bella with mysterious and distant eyes as he dropped the hand he was holding.

"Isabella," he said in no more than a whisper, floating toward her. His fingers brushed along her cheekbone, sending a slight tremor of fear down her spine. "I apologize for the loss of your Edward."

At the mention of his name, Alice let out a pitiful keening sound.

Bella cleared her throat softly, making sure her voice was going to be strong when she answered this vampire; she refused to show any fear to him, though she knew that was foolish. That would get her killed, no doubt. "Thank you," she said, her voice unwavering.

"I am Aro," the misty-eyed vampire said dreamily. He put an arm lightly around Bella's shoulder and extended his absent arm in a grand sweeping gesture. "And this is my home." Bella looked up at him curiously. "My brothers, Marcus and Caius," Aro said, pointing to the other ancient vampires, "and a small portion of my guard." Aro smiled eerily down at her, his face animated as he spoke. "I've learned that Edward could not read your mind, yes?"

Bella tilted her head to the side. "Yes," she answered, nodding her head slightly.

Aro clapped his hands, his misty eyes slight with some kind of excitement. Bella didn't like the expression one bit. "May I see if you are immune to my gifts as well?" he inquired. Without waiting for an answer, he gripped Bella's hand, staring into her eyes. Bella stared right back at him, unwavering and curious. What was his power? Aro's face went from excited, to confused, to angry, to disappointed, then to awed. "My, my, my sweet Isabella, you are a fascinating one. It seems that you are immune to my power as well." Aro laughed, a high, dreamy laugh.

It seemed forced, though, Bella noticed. She could tell it wasn't fascinating; it irritated him, angered him even. "Perhaps," he murmured, looking to a small girl hovering near him, "you are immune to Jane's powers as well." The small girl smiled adorably, then turned her eyes to Bella; if Bella thought she was any kind of sweet or kind before, her thought were instantly turned around. The eyes that stared at her were full of malice and delight. Bella bit her bottom lip slightly, watching the vampires in the room carefully. The small vampire's face went from sardonic, to angry in a heartbeat, then to concentrated, then absolutely furious.

Aro laughed airily, clapping his hands together. "Oh, Isabella, what a rare gem you are." He brushed some hair back from her face. "You seem to be immune to Jane's powers as well. So fascinating. I wish Eleazer was here; I'm sure he would have a perfect fit for your power. You will certainly make a perfect immortal." Aro grinned down at her, exposing all of his sharp, white teeth. They glinted in the candlelight of the chamber.

Bella looked at the two vampires that were hovering about Alice, wanting to make sure that her friend was all right. With surprise, Bella saw that Alice was now standing on her own two feet, albeit wavering a bit. Bella's brows creased as she studied Alice's golden eyes. Something was up; she'd never seen that kind of look in anyone's eyes. It was a kind of crazed look, like she couldn't organize her thoughts, but in the same note, they looked dead. Bella turned back around, kind of brushing it off.

Soon enough, she learned that she shouldn't have brushed it off. The moment she had her back turned, Alice launched herself at Aro. In no more than a second, the guard was swarming around Aro; somewhere in this mess, Bella got flung into one of the walls. Luckily, she didn't hit her head, just her back, and went sliding down the wall with a soft groan. Through hazy eyes, she watched the encounter. She couldn't see much of Alice, only the guard and very loud yells and snarls. Alice was screaming something incoherent, but suddenly stopped.

Though Bella didn't hear the metallic screeching noise, when the guard backed off, per Aro's tranquil call, Bella saw her once best friend laying in pieces on the ground. She didn't notice it, but slow tears were leaking out of her eyes, falling down her cheeks. The fear hadn't hit her earlier, but it was hitting hard now.

Aro turned his face to her, his eyes softening slightly at the site of the human huddling against the wall; he walked over to her slowly, then knelt down in front of her. The guard was close behind him. He muttered something to them at vampire speed, and they backed off. With a tranquil smile, he turned back to Bella. Cold fingers brushed across her cheek, catching her tears.

Aro raised his hand to his eyes, examining the drops of liquid. Flashbacks of the first time Bella had went to the Cullen house flashed in her mind. Edward had done the exact same motion when she had shed a few tears from the sweet sounds of her lullaby. Her lullaby. The mere thought of the sweet notes made her heart jerk.

For three years, she had been over Edward Cullen and his family, having moved on to a very happy life. Her rational self was gone, and she was blubbering over the death of someone who didn't even love her and a best friend that had left her for dead. They didn't care about her. They left her. Why was she crying? Because she was weak. She was _weak_ and _scared_ and _human_, the three most disgusting traits to have.

"Don't cry, bella," Aro crooned to her, wiping the tears from her face.

Bella sniffed softly, looking up at him with doe eyes; she wiped at her cheeks, her tears having stilled for the moment. Aro gave her a slight smile and outstretched his hand. Hesitantly, Bella laid her warm hand in his granite one and let him pull her to her feet.

"Now, Isabella," Aro said dreamily, just above his usual whisper. "I do believe Alice made arrangements for a return flight home. I'm sure my dear friend Carlisle will be there waiting to welcome back his daughter and son with open arms. You'll have to tell him, Isabella. And please, convey my sincerest apologies."

Bella stared ahead the entire time he spoke, not making the slightest acknowledgement that she knew Aro had spoken. Slowly, she blinked, then looked up at Aro, looking into his eyes boldly. He smiled eerily back at her.

"Aro, brother, you cannot be serious. This _human_," the one called Caius spat out, "knows of our existence. She is a liability. She must be killed." A sadistic smile curled up Caius's lips as he stared hungrily at Bella. She simply stared back at him, then looked at Aro. At this point, she didn't give a damn if she lived or died.

"You bring a very good point up, Caius," Aro said with a soft sigh. "Isabella, tell Carlisle also of your situation. I'm sure he knows well, but you need to refresh his memory, yes?"

Bella blinked at him, then nodded numbly, looking at the floor once again. Suddenly, the babble of voices sounded from outside the chamber. Aro looked surprised.

"Oh, Heidi is back," he mused to himself, then glanced down at Bella. "I will have Dmitri escort you out, Isabella. There will be a car waiting at the end of the alley for you to take you to the airport. I apologize for the loss of your friends, Isabella. Edward and Alice were two of the most talented vampires this world has seen in a very long time. I hope to see you again in your immortal life, Isabella." With a soft touch to her cheek, Aro floated back to his throne.

Dmitri, the vampire that had killed Alice, walked out of the chamber with a flourish of his cloak. Like a lost little puppy, Bella followed him out, practically jogging to catch up with him. After a while of silent walking, the pair came to the mouth of an alley. Without a word, Dmitri twirled around and left. Bella blinked a few times before looking at the sleek black car that was waiting for her. She walked to it and opened the back door silently, slipping into the car.

"Caio, Miss Swan," the driver said.

"Caio," Bella replied in a whisper, glancing up to look at the driver. She found, with relief, that he was human. Completely human, with a beating heart and everything. She relaxed back into the seat, pulling her legs to her chest.

"There are some clothes there for you, miss. If you'd like, I can give you privacy to change." In english, the driver had a very thick Italian accent. Bella smiled slightly at him.

"Yes, thank you," she said, nodding her head. The back of the car was very spacious; Bella could stretch out her legs fully if she so desired. A divider went up between the driver and she and the car begun to move. For a while, Bella sat there, staring at the floor. The Cullens were going to hate her. Though she didn't know the reason that Edward had run off to Italy, she assumed it had something to do with her. Oh, god, _Jasper_. The only tie Jasper had to the Cullen family, Bella knew, was Alice; she had seen their bond first hand.

It was amazing and remarkable and profound...and she ruined that. Awesome. Bella inhaled, closing her eyes, then exhaled slowly, opening her eyes and looking down at the bag that evidently held her clothes. She stared at it for a while before bucking up and grabbing it, putting it onto the seat next to her, and unzipping it. She first pulled out an expensive-looking shirt and skirt, then a pair of heels, some hair supplies, and a makeup/toiletry bag.

For a while, she just stared at the things laid out in front of her, but soon pulled her shirt numbly over her head and unbuttoned her jeans, pushing them down her legs after her shoes and socks had been deposited on the floor. She ran her fingers roughly through her hair, pushing the pesky locks back from her face. With a soft sigh, she picked up the skirt, lifting her hips upwards to get them over her ass. The skirt fit snugly; the fabric was very comfortable and breathable, much to Bella's relief. She unzipped the small bag and found, to her delight a portable tooth brush and some deodorant; after using both, she felt quite refreshed, and pulled the white, long sleeved top over her head.

The lace of the shirt hugged her body softly, and around her torso there was layered ruffles, as to not show too much of her skin aside from her arms. Bella did not put on the shoes quite yet; instead, she rested back in the seat. Though there was makeup in the small bag, she didn't have the energy to put anything on or better her appearance. She knew that she looked like hell, she always did nowadays, but she couldn't bring herself to give a damn. As she lowered her eyes to the floor, her eyes caught sight of the pretty script just above her knee. _Survival of the fittest_. Darwin had no idea (or maybe he did, how was she supposed to know?) how true that was when he said that.

After a while of silent driving, the car stopped. Bella sat there for a while, dumbly wondering why they had stopped until the door open, and she saw the doors of the busy airport. Oh. She put her shoes in front of her, and as she slipped out of the car, pushed her feet into the heels. As she straightened, her back popped, as did the rest of her body. With a bit of disgust, she wrinkled her nose and shook herself out, straightening her clothes. The driver smiled at her.

"I shall take you to the gate, Miss Swan," he said, closing the door behind her and walking inside the airport.

With a resigned sigh, Bella straightened her back and walked after him. Again, like it did every time, as she walked in the heels, Bella was surprised that she was not stumbling and falling over herself. The ability of hers to wear heels was no where near new, but it astonished her every time. She simply, numbly walked after the driver with blind hope he was taking her to the right place.They stopped a few times, the driver speaking in quiet Italian with the people, flashing cards, throwing out unfamiliar and familiar names alike. Eventually, they reached the gate where the direct flight to Seattle was going to take off.

"Goodbye, Miss Swan," the driver said, bowing slightly and walking over to a woman that appeared to be some kind of official, gesturing to Bella as he spoke. The woman nodded her head and, with a smile, walked over to Bella.

"Hello, Miss Swan," the woman said in a thick Italian accent.

Bella gave her a polite smile back. "Hello...Amelia," she said, reading the name from the tag on her white button up.

Amelia smiled brightly. "If you'll come with me, I'll get you aboard your plane."

Bella smiled half-heartedly at Amelia and followed her faithfully. _Humans can be trusted. If they have a beating heart, a blush, a tan. Trust them. Fuck whether they're a good person or not. Don't trust vampires,_ Bella thought to herself. She was tired of vampires. For the first time in her life since she had met Edward, she yearned to be normal, ignorant to the existence of vampires. Bella was so deep in her reverie that she didn't even realize that she had boarded the plane until Amelia coaxed her into her seat.

"Goodbye, Miss Swan," Amelia said with a white smile.

Bella studied her for a long moment, wishing silently that Amelia would stay, but instead smiled back at her. "Goodbye, Amelia. It was nice to meet you."

With an adorable smile, Amelia was gone. Not too soon after Amelia had left, the plane took off.

**xxx**

Approximately fifteen hours later, the plane was landing smoothly. The entire flight, Bella had said nothing, done nothing but stare ahead and rehearse what exactly the fuck she was going to do when she saw the Cullens. Now that she was in Seattle-for the first time in three years-reality was sinking in, and she was getting sick to her stomach. She sat in her seat for as long as she could, until one of the flight attendants verbally forced her to get up from her seat. For a moment, she stood there, legs shaky, but then made her way toward the exit of the plane. As she walked across the jet bridge, her once foggy mind cleared painfully.

At the mouth of the terminal, the Cullens waited, all huddled together. Esme was clutching onto Carlisle for all that she was worth, and Carlisle's arms were around her snugly, his eyes tight and resigned, face drawn. This position was similar for Rosalie and Emmett. Jasper was standing away from the group, resigned and emotionless as usual. They all smelled it at the same moment; though three years had passed, the scent of Bella could be picked out easily. Then, Bella emerged from the crowd; she lifted her head from the floor, meeting the eyes of the family she once knew.

Each of them looked around Bella, straining for a peek of Edward or Alice. Jasper, however, did not; he knew from the emotions going through Bella that his Alice was not going to be returning. In grief, he silently fell to his knees, putting his face in his hands in agony. His family looked at him in horror, then turned back to Bella, praying silently that Jasper's assumption was incorrect, that their son and their daughter, their brother and their sister were alive. Bella walked silently to Esme and Carlisle, taking a deep breath as she did so.

"I'm sorry," were the first words that left Bella's mouth. Those were the only words of affirmation that Carlisle or Esme needed. Being the strong leader he was, Carlisle held his mate as she wept into his chest, her dead heart aching for the loss of her son when he, too, wanted to do what Jasper had done, completely break down. He thought he had prepared himself for this possible outcome, but the reality of it, the actual happening of it made him realize he was far from prepared, far from OK. Emmett stared at Bella in shock, Rosalie stared in anger.

"No," she hissed at the human, her eyes narrowing. Bella turned her face to the beautiful blonde. "They're not dead. You think this is funny, bitch?"

Bella blinked softly. "Rosalie-," she began, but was cut off by Rosalie's hand coming hard across her cheek. There was a collective gasp from the party-and onlookers-as Bella stumbled backwards, then tumbled to the ground. Bella stared at Rosalie for a moment before quickly getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

"No," Rosalie choked out, venomous tears welling up in her eyes. "No, they can't be dead. You're lying…" She then broke down, leaning into Emmett for support.

No one seemed to notice the private family moment of grief shared between the five remaining Cullens. Bella stood silently, staring at the ground, her cheek stinging and warm.

"I'm sorry," she repeated in a mumble, a single tear falling from her eye. Despite the obvious grief and sadness that she felt, she could not help but feel a sense of _freedom._ For the longest time, Edward had loomed over her, preventing her from being happy, but now that he was dead…

Was it really that wrong to be happy?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi there, buttery nipples. **

**I'm glad that you've read this all the way through. This has been on my mind for a long while. I don't know if I'll continue it or not. It depends on whether you guys like it or not. Erm...hopefully, Angels will be out tonight. It might be a bit short because it's kind of a filler before I get to my plan...anyhow. I love you. tell me what you think. **

**-Claire**


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